End feuding on homicides

The number of homicides in the city of Elizabeth has remained constant in recent years, but the number of those cases that get resolved has not. For the past five years, the number of homicides resulting in arrests has declined alarmingly.

In 2003, 14 percent of homicides went unsolved. Last year, 56 percent of homicides remained open cases. So far this year, 70 percent of homicides are still under investigation.

By any measure, those numbers are unacceptable. Just as upsetting is the petty squabbling and turf fighting that now seem to be blocking a serious effort to find those responsible for these homicides. The families and loved ones of those who have been killed are entitled to justice, but they aren't getting it.

Moreover, the knowledge that those who commit murders have a 70 percent chance of not getting caught has to be a green light for violence in Elizabeth.

Union County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow lays the blame for the growing number of unsolved homicides in Elizabeth on gangs. In response, he has proposed creating a county-wide homicide task force, which would serve all of Union County but would clearly spend a lot of time in Elizabeth. The task force would include specially trained investigators exclusively working homicide cases.

Officials from every municipality in the county agreed to fully cooperate except in Elizabeth. Mayor Chris Bollwage says he'll work with the county prosecutor's office, but he is not going to assign four police officers full time, as requested by Romankow, to work for the task force.

Bollwage says he might be willing to let officers help out, but they must return to Elizabeth to work on other crimes when they are not dealing with homicides.

Romankow counters that part-time help is a problem. In the past, officers investigating homicides were often diverted to pursue other police matters. Interrupting a homicide investigation, particularly one involving gangs, in which witness intimidation is a factor, means the case is more likely to remain unsolved. Quick and persistent action is crucial when witnesses might be threatened or even killed.

Having a large task force ready to secure a crime scene and canvass a neighborhood within minutes of a killing will increase the chances of building a successful case, Romankow said. And he wants the manpower to get the job done.

The Elizabeth Police Department may be very capable, but the homicide solve rate suggests there is room for improvement. A team effort that would allow police across municipal borders to compare information and work cooperatively, as was done recently with the Essex-Union auto theft task force, seems a rational way to combat a stubborn problem.

A turf war between two headstrong figures isn't.

The Attorney General's Office, which oversees all law enforcement agencies, is trying to broker a truce between the two sides, which is a step in the right direction.

This issue is too important to the future of Elizabeth and all of Union County to allow it to get bogged down in personalities. Romankow and Bollwage must find a way to get on with the important business of solving these homicides.